The Association of Serbo-Macedonians (Serbian and Macedonian: Друштво Србо-Македонци, romanized: Društvo Srbo-Makedonci), was a group founded by intellectuals from the region of Macedonia in 1886, and based in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire.
[3] However, until the early 20th century, Macedonian Slavs identified with the national church of their local priest as either "Bulgarian," "Serbian" or "Greek".
This Committee was founded by Slav Macedonian expatriate students in 1885 in Sofia, Bulgaria, but it was quickly uncovered by the Bulgarian authorities and disbanded.
Novakovic's diplomatic activity in Istanbul played a significant role for the realization of this idea, especially through the establishment of the Association of Serbo-Macedonians.
[24] The political aspirations of the Association closely mirrored those of its predecessor, and their program can be summarized in the following points:[25][26][27][28][29][30] This strange and short-lived experiment assumed ‘mutual exploitation.’ Novakovic and the Serbs had three goals: to make the Macedonians dependent on Serbia, to draw them over to its cause, and to use them to further its influence and interests in Macedonia.